Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
NYRB Classics (2010), Paperback, 192 pages
Description
A delightful variation on the long tradition of bestiary writing, Jules Renard's short verse and prose poems have captured the imagination of readers and artists since they were originally written in 1894, with Ravel famously setting five of them to music. Presented in a new version by acclaimed translator Richard Stokes, this sumptuously produced volume will captivate and enchant new generations of readers the world over.
User reviews
LibraryThing member dada7110
Serafini illustrated "Storie Naturali", a reinterpretation of "Les Histoires Naturelles" (Natural Histories) by Jules Renard (1896), published by Rizzoli in a signed, limited edition of 600 copies. Serafini's drawings compose a sort of imaginary and astonishing herbarium.
LibraryThing member Esta1923
Nature Stories by Jules Renard. Translated by Douglas Parmee with Pierre Bonnard illustrations.
This paperback edition from NYRB is the latest incarnation of Renard's wonderfully idiosyncratic "portraits" written in 1896. The Introduction is well worth reading. Its author, Douglas Parmee (who died
This paperback edition from NYRB is the latest incarnation of Renard's wonderfully idiosyncratic "portraits" written in 1896. The Introduction is well worth reading. Its author, Douglas Parmee (who died
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in November 2008, at age 94) presents an excellent portrait of Renard. The eighty-four "stories" range from one-liners to multi-page. Most are charming, a few are didactic. "The Woodcock" is a moment-of-truth between father and son. Several detail the death of farm animals (don't miss "The Death of Brunette") or pets. "The Nanny Goat" is useful in an unusual way, the caterpillar is appreciated by the rose. And truly there are gems aplenty. It is a small book, so tuck it into your briefcase, and enrich the moments while you are waiting for whatever you are waiting for. Show Less
LibraryThing member abealy
Before knowing anything about Jules Renard I tried to imagine how these short vignettes would have been published. As filler in newspapers? Perhaps simply as entries in a commonplace book. Some are no longer than a sentence or two. The shortest need only a few beautiful words that read like haiku.
Renard seems to have lived a charmed life. He grew up in Chitry-les-Mines, a humble village in the Nièvre region of Burgundy. His father sent him to Nievres, the nearest town with a proper school and eventually he moved to Paris to complete his studies. He married a young woman with a large dowry, became a shareholder in the prestigious Mercure de France and a member, late in life, of the Académie Goncourt and was able to move between the literary life of Paris and the more bucolic country life of a home in Chaumot, deep in the country.
Renard was extremely active in the Parisian literary circles and counted Edmund de Goncourt, Anatole France, Sarah Bernhardt and Andre Gide among his friends and acquaintances. He died of arteriosclerosis in Paris in 1910 at the age of 49.
Several editions of Nature Stories were published at the end of the 19th century — one illustrated by Toulouse Lautrec and a later edition by Pierre Bonnard, whose wonderful ink drawings grace this English translation by Douglas Parmee published by New York Review Books.
The stories reflect his love of the countryside where he spent his young life and are full of humor and a sardonic wit that seems to imagine the foibles of humankind reflected in the short vignettes of the animals he describes.
This short book can be read quickly but, to better effect should be savored, slowly, like those things in life that are meant to be enjoyed at a calmer, more leisurely pace.
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Renard seems to have lived a charmed life. He grew up in Chitry-les-Mines, a humble village in the Nièvre region of Burgundy. His father sent him to Nievres, the nearest town with a proper school and eventually he moved to Paris to complete his studies. He married a young woman with a large dowry, became a shareholder in the prestigious Mercure de France and a member, late in life, of the Académie Goncourt and was able to move between the literary life of Paris and the more bucolic country life of a home in Chaumot, deep in the country.
Renard was extremely active in the Parisian literary circles and counted Edmund de Goncourt, Anatole France, Sarah Bernhardt and Andre Gide among his friends and acquaintances. He died of arteriosclerosis in Paris in 1910 at the age of 49.
Several editions of Nature Stories were published at the end of the 19th century — one illustrated by Toulouse Lautrec and a later edition by Pierre Bonnard, whose wonderful ink drawings grace this English translation by Douglas Parmee published by New York Review Books.
The stories reflect his love of the countryside where he spent his young life and are full of humor and a sardonic wit that seems to imagine the foibles of humankind reflected in the short vignettes of the animals he describes.
This short book can be read quickly but, to better effect should be savored, slowly, like those things in life that are meant to be enjoyed at a calmer, more leisurely pace.
Show Less
LibraryThing member elenchus
Poised, reflective, deliberate. In Nature Stories, Renard masks some biting commentary behind unassuming observations of the natural world around him. These vignettes focus upon pastoral scenes of farming, herding, and hunting. A favourite approach is to paint a self-portrait of mild ridicule, but
Renard's prose is effective because his criticism is merely one subtext. His short pieces are keenly observed, and his humour clearly draws from a deep well of sincere affection for the animals & people he writes about. He displays almost as much respect for the words he employs: I wonder how much I miss reading his prose in translation, and I suspect it's quite a bit. A translator's note indicates some pieces were omitted because the puns simply would not carry through.
This slight book is a wonder and worth revisiting, like verse. The NYRB edition is attractively understated, with Bonnard's line drawings and the book's heft nicely matched to Renard's text (though I'm very curious to see the Toulouse-Lautrec and Serafini illustrations). Reading Renard puts me in a good humour, calm and still but very much an active observer of events around me. Renard fits my conception of a naturalist, present to the moment and open to whatever might be there, but mustering a reservoir of past observations, and knowledge, and experience. A wonder.
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I suspect Renard's chosen targets are fellow villagers and city visitors.Renard's prose is effective because his criticism is merely one subtext. His short pieces are keenly observed, and his humour clearly draws from a deep well of sincere affection for the animals & people he writes about. He displays almost as much respect for the words he employs: I wonder how much I miss reading his prose in translation, and I suspect it's quite a bit. A translator's note indicates some pieces were omitted because the puns simply would not carry through.
This slight book is a wonder and worth revisiting, like verse. The NYRB edition is attractively understated, with Bonnard's line drawings and the book's heft nicely matched to Renard's text (though I'm very curious to see the Toulouse-Lautrec and Serafini illustrations). Reading Renard puts me in a good humour, calm and still but very much an active observer of events around me. Renard fits my conception of a naturalist, present to the moment and open to whatever might be there, but mustering a reservoir of past observations, and knowledge, and experience. A wonder.
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LibraryThing member rpeckham
A wonderful collection of literary vignettes on nature and village life from the perspective of the urban writer, generally assigning fascinating personalities to animals of the farm and entering into dialogues with the creatures of the hunt. The tone is conversational and, indeed, the most
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interesting moments occur when the author launches into out and out conversations with his environment. All in all this vision of life on the farm is entrancing and sure to pull the reader to a special place reserved for nostalgic memories of childhood in a simpler place. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nicholae
Reflective, nuanced, and beautiful, these tales/essays are carefully crafted and full of subtle harmony. I had not known about Renard before receiving this book, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to experience his work. I hope more of his work comes to light.
LibraryThing member Esta1923
On my shelf for many years, Renard's "Natural Histories" is a selection of these wonderful pieces. My copy (hardcover) is illustrated by Toulouse-Lautrec, translated by Elizabeth Roget. The book jacket, itself a thing of beauty, is designed by Jacqueline Schuman. The jacket notes are by Louise
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Bogan. I mention these details because it had cost $5!! Each brief animal portrait is truly wonderfully descriptive. Show Less
LibraryThing member Brasidas
Renard's NATURE STORIES are wonderful! The book is laid out by way of sketches, some of which are four or five pages long. Shorter one's pack an animal’s life story into just a few words: Renard’s butterfly is “a love letter, folded in two.” His donkey is “a rabbit who’s grown up.”
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And his goat “stands up on her hind legs, rests her front legs at the bottom of the notice-board, and wagging her beard and horns ... moves her head from left to right, like an old woman reading.” (Afterward, “as the paper has a nice smell of fresh glue, she eats it.”) With illustrations by Pierre Bonnard. Show Less
Language
Original language
French
Original publication date
1896 (Flammarion)
1899 (Floury ∙ illustrations by Toulouse-Lautrec)
1904 (Flammarion ∙ illustrations by Bonnard)
Physical description
192 p.; 7.98 inches
ISBN
1590173643 / 9781590173640